EXPLANATION
BACKGROUND: The City owns real property located in the vicinity of Teton Road, Columbus, Ohio 43230 {Franklin County Tax Parcel 600-137530} (“Property’), which is managed by the Recreation and Parks Department (“CRPD”). The Ohio Power Company, an Ohio corporation doing business as American Electric Power (“AEP”), currently has an existing easement recorded in Volume Number 2085, Page 510, Franklin County Recorder's Office, for transmission lines running through the site. However, due to the age of the infrastructure, AEP needs to upgrade the service and add an additional pole that would not be allowed under the terms of the existing easement. CRPD and the Department of Finance and Management ("Finance") have reviewed the request by AEP and determined that it is in the best interest of the City to move forward with the upgrade. CRPD and Finance support granting the easement due to the fact that AEP is willing to release the 3.525 acre portion of the existing easement that is located on the Property and enter in to a new easement. The new easement will better define the easement area and provides additional protections for the City that are not present in the exiting easement from 1959. AEP now requests the applicable electric utility easement to burden a portion of the Property in order to maintain certain electric facilities and associated appurtenances for the transmission of electrical energy and impulses (“Easement”). Finance and CRPD reviewed the plans and support granting AEP the replacement Easement at no cost in consideration that (i) the Easement supports the transmission of electricity, (ii) the Easement will be nonexclusive, and (iii) AEP releases the 3.525 acre portion of existing easement on the City’s property in exchange for the granting of the new easement.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE: Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT: Not applicable.
EMERGENCY JUSTIFICATION: Emergency action is requested so that AEP may enter the property and replac...
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